A couple in a tier-1 city is weighing whether to buy a house, even though they are financially well placed. With a combined monthly in-hand salary of ₹4.2 lakh and mutual fund investments worth ₹2–2.5 crore, they currently live with the husband’s parents and spend around ₹50,000 monthly on food, shopping, and maintenance. The couple is planning to start a family and is considering whether buying a house now is the right move financially.

“Are there any other financial priorities we should be looking at with our aging parents, and a baby (hopefully) soon?” the woman wrote on Reddit, asking for advice.

Investment or Lifestyle Decision?

Some users on Reddit suggested thinking beyond immediate affordability. One commenter advised looking at properties not for living but for investment purposes. “You can obviously afford a house, but with a new kid, grandparents are an asset no one can compare to, speaking from experience. So, maybe look at properties which are not for living per se but for investment. Something like properties around Jewar Airport, or Noida where offices are booming… these would be at around 50% less cost than Tier-1 core area and can be a source of rental income,” he wrote.

The couple considered this and agreed it made sense. “It does actually, you’re right. We are also considering buying a small flat for investment purpose to get a second stream of income, so maybe we should look for that in the meantime? I feel since we don’t have any big expenses at this stage we should build SOME asset,” the Reddit user replied.

Timing and Priorities Matter

Some comments on the thread highlighted that timing might be more important than affordability. With low monthly expenses and a large savings portfolio, the couple is in a strong position, but buying property now could tie up a lot of capital for relatively low returns. One user explained, “Residential property in India typically gives 2–3% rental yield, while your mutual funds are likely compounding much higher over time. So buying a small ‘investment property’ just for extra income usually doesn’t move the needle much, especially after EMI, maintenance, and vacancy risk.”

Others pointed out the advantages of staying with parents during the early stages of parenthood. “Apart from finance, doesn’t it make sense to continue live with parents to have support for child care during the early times? You can always save up and buy a home once the kid(s) are a bit independent,” one commenter said.